Nadal Praises 'Spectacular' Tennis Venue for Madrid 2016 Olympics

Madrid, 18 May 2009 - Leaders of the Madrid 2016 Olympic bid are delighted that the city’s newest venue, the “Magic Box” has hosted such a successful first major tournament, the Madrid Masters.

The state-of-the-art venue and the passionate Spanish tennis fans also attracted praise from the World No 1.

Rafael Nadal may have lost the final to Roger Federer but the Spanish hero was overwhelmed by the passion of the home spectators.

He said: “The best thing about the tournament here has been the atmosphere. The Spanish people have been spectacular, really lively.

“The main court is spectacular,” he said.

Nadal, added: “This is a tournament with huge potential, it is only lacking in history and tradition. In every other respect it has everything to be the best.”

Members of the International Olympic Committee Evaluation Commission visited the Magic Box two weeks ago and praised the venue as “most impressive.”

Madrid Bid CEO Mercedes Cohen said: “The Madrid Masters is just another example of what our city can achieve. The city has hosted more than 200 major events in the past ten years and we now have another top event firmly on Madrid’s sporting calendar.”

12,500 fans packed the main court for the final and more than 3 million (24.9%) people watched on Spanish TV with millions more tuning in worldwide. There were also viewing figures of 2.7 million (25%) in Spain alone for the semi final between Nadal and Novak Djokovic.